McDonalds Cafe

As I was graduating high school, McDonalds arrived in our town with a new concept. They were trying to make a McDonalds to go with the town and we got the McDonalds Cafe. At first, it seemed to hurt the local restaurants but now business has seemed to even out. Before McDonalds came to town, the closest one was 45 minutes away.

Rite Aid

The two local drug stores that were in town when I lived in Machias are now gone and replaced by one big one, Rite Aid. This drug store came into town in a new building and has since moved out of that building only to build a bigger one next door. The old building is vacant.

Hannaford's

This is the local grocery store, Hannaford's. When I lived here, there was two grocers, Gay's Shop N Shave and the A&P. Since then the A&P has closed and Hannaford's took over the place of the Shop N Save. Hannaford's expanded into part of what use to be the local drug store, Welby's which is now closed. There also use to be a liquor store, Radio Shack, and Union Trust in the plaza. Radio Shack is still there; Union Trust has changed names; and the liquor

store is gone.

DECH

This is the Down East Community Hospital (DECH) located in Machias. My mom works here in billing. I had my tonsils out here when I was 5 years old. Some of my friends and family have had babies here.

UMM

This is the University of Maine of Machias (UMM) where I went to college for a year. It is on the hill looking over the downtown area. It's not a great picture and it doesn't show the whole campus but it's what I was able to get.

The Original W.A.

This is the original Washington Academy and classes are still held in this part of the school. They were doing some outside work on the building when I took this picture so I kept that side of the building out of the picture.

Washington Academy, Home of the Raiders

This was my school's rival and where Paul went to high school, Washington Academy otherwise known as W.A. When W.A. and Machias were playing basketball against one another, the gym would be packed in these schools. It looks the same as ever, only difference is now some of the people we went to school with actually are working at this school.

The Gym

Here's my school's gym, looks the same as it did when I went to school there. I remember we got new wood floors in the gym while I was in school and were not allowed to wear shoes on the floor so we didn't scratch it. This was where we filled the gym for basketball games and held school dances...oh yeah, we had gym class there too.

Machias High School, Home of the Bulldogs

This is Machias High School where I went to 8th grade and high school, home of the Machias Bulldogs. The school looks exactly the same other than a new paint job. The major sport for our school is basketball. We had no football team. It was soccer and volleyball in the fall; basketball in the winter; and baseball and softball in the spring. I was a spectator as playing sports

was not my thing.

Rose M. Gaffney

Here is where I went to school from 2nd grade to 7th grade. They have added on to it so that it looks nothing like my old school but it is still the Rose M. Gaffney grade school. When I went there, it was one big long rectangle, nothing fancy. It sits behind the high school and shares a gym with the high school.

Hillgrove

This building was where I went to Kindergarten and 1st Grade. Once known as the Hillgrove School, it is now the Whitneyville Hillgrove Community Hall. The playground out back is gone but otherwise the structure still looks the same.

Downtown Machias

Here are pictures of both sides of the street in "Downtown Machias". No stoplights to be found in our town although at one time there was a blinking yellow caution light by the "5&10 turn". Gone are the shops I grew up with such as the 5&10, Surprise Shoe Store, Seacoast Casual, The Emporium, The Sow's Ear, Murphy's Pizza, Howard's Men Shop, Helen's Restaurant, the A&P, the Ford Garage, Fleet Bank, and Johnson's Jewelery replaced by rapidly changing private ventures that don't seem to last long. If they haven't been replaced, they are vacant or torn down to make room for the ever growing bank. Fleet Bank has changed hands and is now Bangor Savings. The only thing that has stood the test of time is the Machias Hardware Store.

The Dike

"The Dike" is now a location for people to sell anything from sea glass to handcrafted furniture. When I was younger, there was no pavement, lines for parking spaces, or people selling their wares. It was where the teenagers would sit in their cars and wait for their friends to pull up and talk. I remember thumping across the gravel to park and talk to my friends. The kids don't seem to hang out downtown and drive back and forth through town like we did. We had no fast food restaurants, movie theaters, stores, or other entertainment so we drove back and forth through town and stop to talk to one another for something to do.

Helen's Restaurant

If there is one thing my town is known for it is Helen's Restaurant. This place is a tourist attraction known for their pies although I think Grahams had better ones. Helen's was once located in the middle of downtown but moved when I was in high school. They also have the Machias Motor Inn located behind the restaurant.

If you are ever in the area, I suggest checking out both Helen's and The Bluebird to make your own opinion of which you like better.

The Bluebird Restaurant

This is the Bluebird Restaurant which is one of the two major restaurants in town next to McDonalds. Back when I lived in Machias, there was no McDonalds, Subway, Quizno's, or Dunkin Donuts and the Bluebird was a family owned restaurant called Grahams. It is still family owned and seems to stay quite busy at least during the summer months.

I worked at this restaurant from 1989 to 1991 when it was known as Grahams. For a teenager, I made good money in tips there and I loved it. I would go back and work for one day if they would let me, just to see if I enjoyed it as much as I did back then. I miss my counter guys and regulars which unfortunately are no longer there. I also miss the pies and puddings made by the little old lady who use to work there (I have forgotten her name but not her cooking.)

Machias Savings Bank

Here is what I consider the eye sore of Machias, the Machias Savings Bank. This bank has taken over a good portion of the downtown and did not look like this when I lived there. I know it gives a lot of people jobs but I just don't like that a portion of downtown as I knew it is now all part of the bank.

Sheriff Department

The Sheriff Department is located right next to the Courthouse. Again, I have never been in this building (knock on wood). It's funny when I think of how many places in my town that I never visited in my 19 years of living here.

Machias Courthouse

Here's the Machias Courthouse. Other than going there once when learning about the court system during grammar school, I have never been in this building. I just like the structure and thought it was something you would imagine seeing if you were thinking of a New England town.

Machias Library

Here is a picture of the Machias Library. I know there is probably some great historical story about it but unfortunately off the top of my head, I do not know it. Maybe at some point I will add some historical facts or if any of you have any, please add them to the comments. My memories of the library were checking out Nancy Drew, Judy Blume, and Ramona & Bezzus books during the summer.

Congregational Church

Here are some closer pictures of the church located in the middle of town. The pictures don't really show the size of the church but I love the styles of the churches throughout New England as they are an art form in themselves. Although I did not personally attend this church, I can still admire it's beauty.
The clock on the steeple is accurate too!
Here's a picture of the side so you can see the stain glass windows.